The Legislative Council Group to Study the Government Restructuring Plan held its first meeting this morning (20th). The Secretary-General of the Chief Executive's Office, Cheng Chung-wai, introduced the plan to Members yesterday, so as to understand their concerns.
According to the general participants, members are mainly concerned with two major points, including the positioning and functions of the Deputy Secretary, as well as the staffing and remuneration package. Some people questioned that it is unnecessary to add a director-level officer at the D3 rank in the three offices of the Secretary. .
The establishment of a deputy attorney general
Zheng Zhongwei introduced the plan to the Legislative Council yesterday, explaining the details of the new government reorganization plan, including the division of labor and functions of the deputy secretary.
Ip Liu Shuyi, chairman of the "Research Structure Restructuring Plan" group, revealed that Zheng Zhongwei gave an example at the meeting that the handling of remains during the epidemic involves multiple government departments, such as the police, the Department of Health, and the judicial department. Strengthen cross-departmental collaboration.
Some members questioned the decision of the Department of Justice to establish a deputy secretary, and they were worried about the unclear positioning. The government explained that the Department of Justice has a heavy workload, including promoting national security education and the advantages of the rule of law in Hong Kong, and it is necessary to add a deputy secretary.
However, some Members privately questioned the position of the Deputy Secretary and the lack of clarity of powers. For example, should the Deputy Secretary report directly to the Chief Executive or report to the Secretary first on "designated items"?
Does the work of the Secretary for Policy need to be reported to the Deputy Secretary?
Some people worry that the establishment of the Secretary-General will have "side effects" and power struggles.
Li Jiachao met with reporters after the guild passed the restructuring plan.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei)
The Office of the Third Division adds D3 officers
In addition to adding 3 Deputy Secretaries, Li Jiachao also proposed to strengthen the civil service manpower in the offices of the three Secretaries, including adding a Directorate (Directorate Pay Scale Point 3) or Chief Government Counsel, and other non-directorate officers in each Secretary's Office support staff.
It is reported that some lawmakers questioned whether it was necessary, thinking that the structure of the office was over-expanded.
In fact, this reorganization plan will add 70 positions at once, including 13 politically appointed officials and 57 civil servant positions, and the additional annual expenditure is expected to reach 94.83 million yuan. It’s easy to open positions, but difficult to cut positions, I hope it proves that it’s worth the money!”
Di Zhiyuan suggested that the reorganization plan proposed by Carrie Lam herself should be adopted first.
(Photo by Liang Pengwei)
Di Zhiyuan advocates first passing Lam Cheng's plan
New Thinking Di Zhiyuan, who attended the meeting, proposed yesterday that the restructuring plan involves division of labor, resource arrangements, etc., and needs more time to discuss. It is too urgent to discuss only one or two weeks. It is recommended to pass the plan proposed by Carrie Lam in January this year. .
Some pro-former members pointed out that after Zheng Zhongwei briefed the plan yesterday, he mainly listened to opinions. It is estimated that he was preparing for today's meeting to understand the content of the members' concerns.
Some people bluntly said that with the current speed of deliberation in the Legislative Council, it would be "no difficulty" to pass the plan as scheduled next month, and I believe that the plan will not be significantly revised. Whether the architecture can improve governance capabilities, we can only wait and see.
Restructuring | Councillor Di Zhiyuan, the office-designate, is concerned about the rapid expansion of the scale: it is advisable to postpone the restructuring of the deputy department. Secretary "Too good people are worthless" Advocating the reorganization of the structure of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau under the Financial Secretary. Ip Kwok-him pointed out that the Deputy Secretary can help co-ordinator members: the Deputy Secretary of Justice cannot only be responsible for external publicity